The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)

Thug tried to kick partner’s house door in

- BY DAVID LOVE

Aserial stalker who previously served jail time for hassling women has landed himself back in the dock after abusing his partner.

Lee Blackburn was heavily intoxicate­d when he tried to force his way into a house in Inverness by kicking the door of the property on Glendoe Terrace on November 11 2023.

The 47-year-old drunken thug had earlier told his partner that he was going to the pub but failed to return when he said he would.

After the woman messaged him saying she was locking the doors and going to bed, Blackburn turned up and became violent.

At Inverness Sheriff Court, he later pled guilty to a charge of threatenin­g or abusive behaviour.

Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph told the court that Blackburn’s helpless partner had to turn to the police for help, adding: “She repeatedly told him she wanted him to stop but he became increasing­ly agitated and aggressive. He struck the door window several times with his keys.

“She opened the door and told him to leave, he tried to get in but she pushed him out.

“The police were called and she asked officers to tell him to leave and that he could return in the morning when he was sober.”

The court heard that, although he left the scene, he returned a short time later and was again abusive towards his victim.

Sheriff Nigel Cooke ordered Blackburn, of Kirkside in Alness, to carry out 180 hours of unpaid community work as an alternativ­e to a custodial sentence.

The repeat offender was also placed under two years of social work supervisio­n.

In April 2016, Blackburn was jailed for 16 months

after admitting to stalking a woman in Inverness by bombarding her with messages and damaging her car.

One message read: “I hate you with all my heart.”

Another threatened that her “new man will be getting a kicking”.

She later discovered the rear windscreen wiper of her car one morning had been snapped off and an empty condom packet placed on the front windscreen.

In August 2019, Blackburn appeared in court after causing an Aberdeen mum to feel fear and alarm by stalking the terrorised woman for months while turning up to wherever she was without invitation.

For that, he was given the non-custodial sentence of a four-month house arrest between the hours of 7pm and 6am and enrolled on a domestic abuse offender course.

He was also placed under the supervisio­n of social workers and banned from approachin­g his victim, her home or her place of work for two years.

In January 2020, he was spared a prison sentence after bombarding a Moray woman with unwanted texts and phone calls for nearly two months.

He had repeatedly sent messages to the female he met through a dating website – even after ending the relationsh­ip himself – and was spotted sitting in his car near her Elgin home on occasions.

He was given 300 hours of unpaid work, an order to pay £300 compensati­on and a three-year nonharassm­ent order.

In May 2021, a court heard that Blackburn had continued to send love letters and make apologetic phone calls to his thenlatest victim, despite being in prison at the time.

He admitted the offence of stalking and was jailed for five months by a sheriff, who reduced a 12-month sentence by seven months to take account of the time Blackburn had already spent on remand.

A three-year nonharassm­ent order to protect the woman was also imposed on Blackburn at the time.

 ?? ?? SERIAL STALKER: Lee Blackburn leaves the court.
SERIAL STALKER: Lee Blackburn leaves the court.

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